Grace and Grit: Health and Healing Thru Horse-Human Partnerships is an Erskine-based nonprofit that provides growth and enrichment opportunities through horse-and-human connection.
This past summer, Grace and Grit hosted a “Finding the Feel” horsemanship workshop, funded in part through grant support from the Northwest Minnesota Women’s Fund.
Thirty-three participants interacted with horses and each other in directed and mentored activities geared toward gaining a better understanding of themselves, other people, and horses.
“To say that the workshop and this program has changed my life is an understatement,” said one participant, a Grygla woman who recently had begun working with a new horse. “The skills and tools I learned, from putting the needs of the horse (and others) first, to developing better focusing skills, to smiling, laughing, breathing, stretching and simply giving off good vibes to horses and people have increased the quality of my … relationships exponentially.”
Another participant was a pre-teen girl from Mentor, who had been wanting to try horse classes but was nervous to do so. The workshop provided the opportunity for her to take part with a sibling. By the end of the session, she said she wanted to start classes – but without her sister next time.
As the workshop began and the girl was led to the pen, “We watched (her) anxiety go away. (She) was smiling and having a good time,” her mother reported. “We were able to leave without her feeling anxious at all. When we went to pick her up she was riding a horse and listening to following instructions … and had a smile on her face the whole time.”
“Being on the horse felt amazing,” the girl said afterward. “Being around the horses made me forget about everything. All my worries and stuff disappeared. It was just me, the teacher and horse.”
According to Grace and Grit, horses are inherently honest and mirror their environment so they provide an opportunity for riders to not only learn effective horsemanship skills but also to enhance their socio-emotional skills.
“It was so rewarding to help all these participants come to their own unique understanding of how to communicate with the horses, and each other,” said one of the mentors, Shauna Reitmeier, a mental health/social worker and ex-officio Grace and Grit director/advisor. “The low mentor-(to)-student ration was key to the success.”
Deb Pearson, a K-12 music teacher in Alexandria and Grace and Grit director and mentor, said that, at first, it was a bit overwhelming to see how nervous and hesitant the participants seemed to be.
“Thankfully a strategically planned orientation stimulated curiosity and inquisitiveness,” she said. “The energy changed, in large part due to the mentor-guided positive interactions with the horses. The positive energy and feel good was palpable throughout the workshop. Even the mentors were ebullient at the end!”
To learn more about Grace and Grit, visit their website at https://www.graceandgrithealthandhealing.com/
